


for in our great sorrow we learn what joy means

by rxginamills



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Broadway Star Rachel Berry, F/F, Family, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Gen, I'm proud of this, Sorrow - Sleeping At Last, enjoy this, i just do it anyway, kinda? i honestly don't know if i should tag any of my fics as au, oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-02 17:45:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19446472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxginamills/pseuds/rxginamills
Summary: One day Beth Corcoran shows up at her mother's door, and Quinn has to let down her barriers and figure out how to get the girl back home to Shelby.





	for in our great sorrow we learn what joy means

Rachel Berry-Fabray was a busy woman and spent most of her days at the theatre, rehearsing musical after musical, scene after scene. In the back of her mind she cursed that her everyday routine had to fall upside down on the one day she had off from work.

She folded laundry and brushed the dust off of her family pictures that sat neatly on the fireplace. She sat on the couch and read a book, which was something she hadn't been able to do in a long time. Her dog, Max, curled up at her feet, even snoring lightly. Rachel bet down to give him plenty of belly rubs before sinking back into the world of her novel. 

Rachel couldn't stay away from her passion for long, which was why she had her all time idol, Barbra Streisand, playing in the background as she read. She found herself humming along to all the songs, including her anthem, ”Don’t Rain On My Parade”. 

Max slipped away from his owner’s feet as he heard faint footsteps outside their house. It wasn’t long after that the doorbell rang, jolting Rachel out of her moment with Barbra and her book. She huffed and brushed her fingers through her hair a few times to make sure she looked alright before she headed for the door. 

”Max, hey, it’s okay!” Rachel went to soothe the dalmatian as he barked at the door, ”Good boy.”

Max sat behind Rachel’s legs as she opened the door, ready to face either a creepy fan or the mail man. 

What she saw was... neither of them? 

In front of her stood a blonde girl, 16 years old at best, with a gentle smile and oddly familiar eyes. 

”Hello.” 

”Hi,” said Rachel with a small frown, ”Can I help you?”

”Yeah, um, does Quinn Fabray live here?”

"She does, but she's at work right now. Who's asking?"

The girl looked down sheepishly before raising her eyes to fully meet Rachel's. 

"I'm Beth Corcoran. Her daughter."

Rachel's breath caught in her throat. The wedding band felt tighter on her ring finger. Rachel looked at this girl with completely new eyes after she introduced herself. She was obviously Quinn's child, from her golden hair to the way she carried herself. Her eyes were so captivating that it felt like she was staring at Quinn instead. 

Many questions arose in Rachel's mind. What was Beth doing there? Why was she at Rachel's house and not at home? Why now, after 16 years of barely having any contact with Quinn? 

"Uhh, are you okay?" Beth asked. Rachel blinked rapidly and focused on the teenager again. She gave her a strained smile.

"I'm fine. Listen, I think you should come inside." 

Rachel stepped aside to welcome Beth into her mansion. The girl's eyes went wide at the sight of the majestic house. Being a world-famous Broadway star and the wife of an author clearly had its perks. Beth draped her hand over the railing of a large spiral staircase and listened to her sneakers rub on the clean, shiny floor.

Rachel closed the door behind her and watched her with curiosity. Beth only had on a black top, a pair of jeans and white, worn out Converse to finish the look. She carried a small backpack, and based on everything Rachel was seeing, Beth had made a hurried exit from wherever she had been before. 

"This place is amazing!" Beth exclaimed, "My mom really lives here?"

"Yeah," Rachel smiled, "With me."

Beth turned around, "Right, and you are…" 

"Rachel Berry-Fabray, her wife." 

"Whoa," Beth simply stared at her for a few seconds before composing herself, "She's married to the most gorgeous woman, like, ever. Alright, okay, cool." 

"Why don't we sit down in the living room, okay, Beth?" Rachel pleaded. She felt relieved when Beth complied with her and strolled into the spacious living room where Rachel had left her book. Max followed the duo, trying to take a sniff at Beth's legs to the best of his abilities. 

Rachel sat across from Beth in an armchair and made sure that the coffee table was securely between them. She knew she had to be the adult in the situation, but it was making her nervous. She had no idea why Beth had come to her home and what her intentions were. Beth was no longer a baby; she was a young woman and had to be treated as such. Rachel found herself speechless, and it was not often that Rachel Berry-Fabray was unable to speak her mind. 

"So what are you doing here?" she finally asked, though a little quietly.

"I kind of… ran away from home today." Beth answered and blushed. 

"You - you what?"

"I had a huge fight with my mom. We yelled some pretty nasty things at each other and I just bolted.”

She had fought with her mother. Right. And her mother was Rachel's mother too. Thinking about this too much would give her a headache. 

"She must be really worried about you." 

Beth scoffed, "Yeah right. She doesn’t care that I left.” 

”Somehow I doubt that’s true.” Rachel said, more to herself than to Beth. She looked at the clock on the wall; Quinn would be coming home soon. Rachel wished she could slow down the time. She was not prepared to welcome her wife home while her daughter was suddenly there on their couch. There was no way of knowing what would happen. 

Rachel gazed at Beth. She was clearly determined and the adrenaline rush of running away from home was still clouding her judgement and making her seem less afraid than she actually was. Rachel could see it in her eyes that she desired to be a rebellious teenager like many people her age. Beth felt the need to prove something to someone. Maybe to herself.

The clock kept ticking and the time kept moving forward and Rachel was powerless to stop it. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket to see a text from Quinn (Wife, red heart emoji) lighting up the screen. She'd be home any second now. Rachel glanced at Beth and then stood up and hurried towards the front door. Max sprinted behind her.

"Hey, what's up?" Beth asked her as she went. 

"Quinn's home, stay there!" 

Rachel was grateful that Beth decided to listen to her and stayed in her seat. Rachel went outside where Quinn was getting out of a car with their driver. Max ran to his other mom instantly and wagged his tail in excitement. 

"Hi Max! I missed you! You're my favorite boy, yes you are!" Quinn gushed over the dalmatian and scratched him behind his ears. Rachel loved seeing her so happy. It hurt her that her happiness might end up being short-lived. 

Quinn made her way to her wife and gave her a long, sweet kiss. Rachel put her hands on her waist protectively.

"Hi babe," Quinn said, "I missed you." 

"I missed you too," Rachel answered, "Listen, we kind of have a situation going on and I want you to know that no matter what you decide to do I'm here for you." 

Quinn looked alarmed, "Rachel, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

Rachel sighed deeply, "Beth is here."

Quinn stared at her wife for a moment before chuckling unsurely, "What? Beth? Beth's a baby, Rachel, she - "

"Beth is 16 now. Babies grow, you know that."

Quinn paled visibly, "And she's - she's here, she's -"

"She's in our living room right now." 

Rachel felt Quinn's hold on her tighten. Her legs wobbled dangerously. Rachel lowered the two of them to sit on the grass. Max curled up next to Quinn and put his head on her lap. 

They sat there in silence for a moment that seemed like forever. Rachel studied Quinn’s expressions and wished she could read minds. She hated not knowing how her wife was feeling, especially if she seemed to be distraught. 

Quinn stared into nothingness and trembled in shock. She couldn’t get herself to stand up but quite frankly she had no interest in doing so. She could not step inside that house, not while Beth was inside.

”I don’t think I can go in there.” she whispered. Rachel kissed her temple.

”We can stay here for as long as you like.” she answered. 

”Can we stay forever?” Quinn said helplessly and sounded more like a little girl than she had in years. Rachel chuckled.

”Yeah, we can stay forever,” she was quiet for a moment, ”Although... I think Beth might start wondering where we are. And it’s gonna suck when it starts to rain.” 

Quinn sighed and leaned her head on Rachel’s shoulder. 

”We have to go inside. I just - I don’t know how, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, to say! She’s my daughter but I haven’t been keeping touch with her at all. I’m terrified.”

”We can send her home if that’s what you want. She ran away from home, you know, and she can go back. I can give her money and put her on the next bus and she’ll be on her way.” Rachel explained. 

Quinn frowned, ”Wait, she ran away from home?”

”Yeah, she said she fought with Shelby.”

”It must have been a bad fight if she ran away. Well, bad in teenager standards anyway. Did she tell you what they fought about?” Quinn asked curiously.

”No, I didn’t ask.”

”Okay.”

She paused.

”I wanna see her.”

Rachel’s eyes widened a little, ”Are you sure?” 

Quinn’s hands were shaking and she laughed, ”Yes and no. I want to see what my daughter looks like.”

They stood up from the grass and slowly headed for the front door. Quinn stopped before the large porch. 

”Please don’t let go of me.” she whimpered quietly. Rachel raised her hand to her lips and kissed it.

”Never.” 

They went up the two steps and then towards the front door. Rachel pulled it open and Max slipped inside first. Quinn took a deep breath. It was now or never. 

(Preferably never if it would ease her anxiety.)

She was going to see her daughter again. 

* * *

Quinn made sure Rachel was holding her hand tightly as they stepped inside their house. The air felt different, almost as if their home knew that a stranger was there too.

Then again, it shouldn’t have been a stranger to Quinn. The person in their house was her own flesh and blood, her daughter, who she had carried in her stomach for nine months while in high school. Quinn should’ve known every inch of that girl, but she didn’t. 

That’s why meeting her scared her so much. She had no idea who Beth had become. 

Quinn and Rachel took slow steps towards Beth’s location. Their house was filled with large, open spaces, which was the reason why it was fairly easy to see who was sitting in the living room. The couch Beth was sitting on was just left behind a corner, thus making her stay out of Quinn’s field of vision. 

Her heels clicked comfortably against the floor as she walked through her house with her wife. Someone stood up at the sound of them coming. 

”Mom?” 

It was a shaky, careful question. Quinn’s heart skipped a beat as she heard the voice. Rachel’s hand was supporting her back. 

They rounded the corner and stopped walking as if a brick wall had been placed in front of them. Beth was on the other side of the room, keeping a safe distance from them. All Quinn could do was stare. 

Beth was magical. 

She was nothing like Quinn had imagined her to be; she was better, she was _more_. Her golden hair matched Quinn’s own. She had that smile: a little afraid but stronger than anyone she had ever seen. And her eyes... it was like looking into a mirror. 

"She's so beautiful." Quinn breathed so that only Rachel could hear it. She had tears in her eyes but didn't take a step forward; Beth did. 

"Hi mom," she said carefully, noticing that Quinn was tense, "It's me… Beth."

"Hello Beth," Quinn said with a hoarse voice, "You're beautiful." 

"Oh," Beth blushed, "Thanks. You too. Even better than in pictures."

Quinn's eyes widened, "You've seen pictures of me?"

Beth shrugged, "Yeah. Mom keeps family photos on the fireplace like you do. We have a picture where you're holding me when I was a baby."

Quinn looked down at her hands. Of course Shelby was such an angel that she wouldn't completely ignore Quinn's existence and withhold her from Beth. She had always been too good and kind; the perfect mother for Beth. It was Quinn who had stayed back and out of her life. 

"We should sit down," she started, "You can… tell me about yourself."

Beth sat back down on the couch while Quinn moved to the armchair located farthest from her. She could feel the tension between her and her daughter. Quinn avoided eye contact with Beth. 

"I'm gonna go make us some cocoa." Rachel whispered in Quinn's ear. Panic struck her instantly.

"No no no, please stay with me, I don't know how to do this - " 

"Hey, I'm gonna be in the kitchen. The cocoa will do you and her good. I promise I'm not far away, I'm right there next to you okay?" 

Quinn sighed, "Okay. Please be quick."

Rachel kissed Quinn's head affectionally, "I will." 

Rachel strolled into the kitchen and left Quinn there with Beth. 

"Your wife seems really great." Beth commented.

"She is," Quinn smiled to herself, "She's my rock."

"That's nice," Beth said, "My mom hasn't dated anyone for a long time, it's pretty much been her and I. Well, at least until my brothers arrived."

Quinn's eyes widened, "You have brothers?" 

Beth began smiling, "Ty is 10 and Louis is 7. My mom adopted them when Louis was still an infant. They were brought from Kenya and thrown into the system. They never really had a real family until mom took them in. I love those weirdos." 

Quinn saw her take out her phone and scroll through it excitedly. Then she leaned a little closer and held out the phone for Quinn to see. On the screen was a picture of Beth wrestling playfully with her brothers. 

"You must love it at home." Quinn said absent-mindedly.

"Yeah," Beth said before her smile dropped and she shoved her phone into her pocket, "I used to."

Quinn leaned back into the armchair. Beth's face darkened. Rachel came from the kitchen with three mugs of cocoa on a tray. 

"Here you go," she said, "One for each of us. Here you go, Beth." 

Rachel handed Beth a mug. She took an eager sip out of the drink.

"Mmm, this is really good," she licked her lips, "Thanks Mrs. Berry-Fabray." 

Rachel chuckled and sat next to Quinn, "Just Rachel is fine." 

Quinn grabbed the warm mug of cocoa and only then realized how cold her hands had been. She took a sip and felt the comforting warmth spread throughout her entire body. 

"I heard you and your mom fought," she began again, "What about?"

"My curfews and independence and a party I had," Beth explained, "Mom took the boys out for a day trip somewhere and she trusted me to behave myself if she left me home alone. I had a secret party while she was gone."

"Did you now?" Rachel smirked, knowing that it was typical for a kid of Beth's age to go against their mother's rules. 

"It was a good party too," Beth kept going, "But when mom got home, she was _pissed_. I don't think I've ever seen her that angry. I told her that I should have more independence and later curfews, 'cause, you know… I'm a woman now! Mom disagreed and told me that if I kept up this behavior she'd tighten the rules I already had. I yelled my throat out at her and said that she was being totally unfair, which she was! By that time mom was yelling too, and she gave me the my-house-my-rules-card," she rolled her eyes, "That's when I had it and said that I didn't wanna live in her house if it was like that. I grabbed my stuff and ran out. Didn't look back. Now I'm here."

"And you're so casual about this because…?" Quinn trailed off, looking for an answer. 

"Because I don't need her. I have you." 

Quinn stood up immediately and backed up a few steps.

"What?" her voice was shaking again, "What do you mean?"

Beth leapt forward, causing Rachel to stand up too. Quinn edged closer to her wife. There was a burning determination in Beth's eyes. Quinn could see how naive and unknowing she was, believing that it was as easy as that. Max appeared from the hallway, whimpering worriedly. 

"You're my mom too. My _real_ mom," Beth declared confidently, "Now we can be a family again."

"It doesn't work like that!" Quinn exclaimed and sounded more panicked than she had meant to. She swallowed the tears that she felt coming and properly faced Beth even though it made her incredibly nervous. 

"Why not?!" Beth asked.

"I don't know how to be a mother," Quinn cried as a teardrop fell on her cheek, "I can't just suddenly become your mom! I may have given birth to you, but you've been someone else's daughter your whole life!"

"But I can be yours now!" 

"No," Quinn looked down as more tears fell on her cheeks, "No, this is crazy and you need to go back home. Shelby is probably worried sick about you."

"I don't wanna go back!" Beth yelled, "I just - I thought we could finally get to know each other, after 16 years of hearing nothing from you! But I guess not. You're just like her."

Beth grabbed her backpack and the cocoa mug and ran out of the living room. She burst out the front door. Max barked as he ran after her while Quinn remained in her place and sobbed quietly. Rachel embraced her and let her weep into her chest until no more tears fell from her eyes.

They stood there for an eternity, that's what it felt like, but Quinn didn't mind. She had known nothing good would come out of her seeing Beth again. What did she know about being a mother? Or even communicating with teenage girls? Her relationship with Beth was more than complicated and she had been content with her life until the girl showed up. Quinn had slept all her nights in peace because she knew that Beth had a good home with Shelby, who was the person Beth called mom every day. 

Rachel sat Quinn down on the armchair and went to look through the kitchen window. Beth was sitting on their front lawn, pulling grass out of the ground. Max was lying next to her and wagging his tail. Rachel felt relieved that Beth had not gone anywhere. 

"She's outside," she told her wife, "I can go talk to her, if you'd like." 

"Thanks babe, but," Quinn snuffled, "It has to me. I'll go." 

Quinn stood up and went to Rachel. She pulled her into a passionate kiss and leaned their foreheads together. 

"Thank you for being here for me." she whispered. Rachel kissed the tip of her nose.

"Always."

* * *

When Quinn stepped outside she realized just how unaware she had been of the passing of time. The sun was setting in the distance and the sky was a magnificent orange color, laced with shades of pink. Beth sat on the grass with the cocoa mug in her hand and marveled at the sight. Max lay next to her, almost asleep.

"Hi." Quinn said softly. Beth said nothing and remained in her place with her back still facing Quinn. She took a few steps closer, and this time Rachel wasn't there holding a delicate hand on her back. She wasn't far away though, just in the kitchen, watching the pair of blondes carefully.

"Your cocoa must be getting cold by now." Quinn tried to ease her way next to Beth. The girl let her head hang low.

"Still tastes good, though."

"Mm, that's because it has a bit of Rachel magic in it." 

Quinn was standing by her daughter quietly. She didn't want to force her to speak and thus risk starting more conflicts. They were both in a sensitive mood.

"Can I sit down?" Quinn asked. Beth took a sip of her cocoa.

"Sure."

Quinn sat down next to Beth. She looked beautiful in the golden light, and Quinn couldn't help but feel pleased with herself; she had created a beautiful girl like that.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Beth said suddenly, "That seems to be my way of coping with things nowadays." 

"It's okay," Quinn answered, "I didn't handle the situation very well either, and I'm supposed to be the adult." 

She stopped talking for a moment, unsure if she should continue.

"You have to understand, Beth, I was terrified of seeing you."

Beth turned to look at her questioningly, "What? Why?"

Quinn sighed, "I had you when I was around your age. Way too young to be a mother, way too immature, too inexperienced. I wasn't ready to take care of a child when I barely knew how to take care of myself. If I had kept you I wouldn't have been the mother you deserve. I gave you up for a mother who I knew could love you as much as I do, and it was the best decision I made in my teenage years. I spent many nights regretting it too, but ultimately I made the right choice."

"That doesn't explain why you were scared to see me." Beth mumbled. 

"I'm getting there," Quinn explained, "I was scared to see you because after I gave you up I didn't see you for 16 years. I stayed back from being in your life because I thought it was the best for you. Slowly I got a routine back into my life. I was able to think about other things than the baby I gave up. I graduated high school, went to Yale, realized my attraction to girls, fell in love with and married Rachel, started publishing my books… I had a life, full and complete and beautiful and perfectly fine. And then you showed up." 

Beth chuckled under her breath. Quinn's eyes glistened.

"My wife told me that my grown up daughter was suddenly in my house after 16 years. I had no idea what kind of person you had become. Seeing you only reminded me that I could've been a part of your life but I chose to stay away. You could've hated me if you wanted to, and that terrified me." 

They were quiet for a while. The light of the sun was fading and the orange sky was turning a dark blue. 

"I could never hate you," Beth said gently, "You had nothing to be scared of."

"Yeah, I see that now." Quinn smiled, and it was a genuine smile.

"I just don't understand why we couldn't be a family." Beth moaned.

"Because you already _have_ a family," Quinn said as calmly as she could, "Shelby is an amazing mom and she's probably terrified that something has happened to you."

Beth crossed her arms over her chest unsurely, "Then why was she so angry at me? We fought pretty bad."

"I think that's what moms do. They fight with their kids. That's a part of life. It doesn't mean they don't love you. I know that Shelby loves you, Beth, she loves you _so_ much. She's just looking out for you." 

Beth looked thoughtful, "She _did_ comfort me when the thunder scared me when I was little."

Quinn's face lit up, "Yeah? What else does she do?"

"Well, we sing a lot together! She plays the piano — we have this big grand piano, it's black and so pretty. She plays and we sing together. Sometimes the boys join in but mostly it's weird mumbling when they're singing." Beth laughed. 

"That sounds lovely." Quinn said softly.

"It is," Beth confirmed, "Mom has an amazing voice. I love singing Christmas songs with her, I… "

Beth quieted down, "I… I really miss her."

”She misses you too. Has she tried to reach you?” 

Beth took out her phone and looked at the screen. 19 missed calls.

She groaned, "Oh man, what have I done? I was an ass to my mom. I gotta go home." 

”And you will,” Quinn confirmed, ”We’ll drive you tomorrow.” 

”Thanks, mom.” Beth smiled. Quinn hesitated for a moment and then took Beth’s hand.

”You’re very welcome.”

Quinn’s phone buzzed and she looked at the text message. It was from Rachel (Wife, ring emoji), who was still in the kitchen. 

_all_ _good_?

Quinn smiled and began typing a message back. 

**yeah** , **i** **think** **so**. **she rly misses shelby**

_so you worked your magic?_

**guess so**

_god you're so brilliant. i love you q_

**i love you too sweets**

* * *

The next day Quinn and Rachel postponed their work duties just for a little while to drive Beth back to the Corcoran residence. Rachel drove the car while Quinn sat in the passenger seat. Beth sat behind them, looking out the window at the scenery. 

”Damn, you two live in an expensive neighbourhood.” she said as they drove past mansions similar to Quinn and Rachel’s. The couple laughed together.

”Yeah, well, we wanted a nice place to call our forever home. Now we have a house where we can host our friends and family and raise our future kids too.” Rachel explained. Quinn looked at her lovingly. 

”So Rachel, how did you and mom become a thing?” Beth asked curiously. Rachel blushed.

”I believe it included our friends Santana, Kurt and Brittany. We crashed Quinn’s Yale graduation and somehow I ended up confessing my love for her in front of her entire graduating class.” 

Quinn held a hand on her mouth to stop her from laughing uncontrollably, ”Yeah, that was a good moment.”

”Santana told me, ’Go up there, Berry! Put your overdramatic and loud personality to good use!’ and I took her advice and ran on the stage. It ended pretty well for us.” Rachel freed one hand from the steering wheel for a moment to squeeze Quinn’s. 

”I hope I find someone like that one day.” Beth smiled at their interaction. 

”You will. I promise.” Quinn glanced at her daughter in the backseat.

They drove for a good hour before Beth started recognizing the street and its houses. They stopped in front of a white, two-story detached house. A woman was sitting on the porch alone. 

This was Shelby Corcoran. A showchoir coach and mom of three. Rachel, Quinn and Beth had never seen her look as disheveled as she did then. Her hair was messy, as if she hadn’t brushed it for days. She looked heartbroken, and suddenly Beth felt tears in her eyes. She hadn’t even realized how much she actually missed her.

Beth began scrambling out of the car. This caught Shelby’s attention and she lifted her head from her hands. She squinted as she tried to make out who it was leaping out of the tinted-windowed car. A gasp escaped her mouth as she recognized who it was.

”BETH!”

”Mom! Mom!”

"Beth!"

Beth shut the car door behind her and dashed across the yard. Shelby met her halfway there and hugged her desperately, shedding a few tears into her hair. 

”Where have you been? I was so worried about you! God, I was so scared, I — ”

”Mom, I’m so sorry,” Beth snuffled, ”I’m so sorry for saying those things to you. I love you so much. You’re the best mom ever and I wanna live in your house until the second I leave for college. I’m so sorry!” 

”Oh, Beth, baby, I’m sorry too! I shouldn’t have been so hard on you! I thought I had lost you when you left and didn’t answer any of my calls!” Shelby wiped her eyes and then kissed Beth’s head tenderly, ”How - how did you even get here?”

”I had a little help.” Beth grinned sheepishly and looked towards the car. Rachel and Quinn both climbed out and held hands as they made their way to Shelby. 

”Rachel? Quinn?” Shelby looked incredulous, ”You found Beth?”

”Actually,” Rachel winked at Beth, ”She found us.” 

”Thank you for bringing her home, thank you, both of you.” Shelby hugged both Rachel and Quinn. The blonde stayed in the background a little. Shelby looked at her gently, an understanding sparkle in her eyes.

”Shelby, I - ” 

”Quinn, it’s okay,” Shelby interrupted her, ”You don’t have to explain anything. You brought my daughter home. That’s all I care about.”

”Oh, mom, they were so great!” Beth exclaimed and hugged Shelby again, ”Rachel makes a killer cocoa, you know, and their house is _insane_.” 

Before Shelby got the chance to say a word, the front door burst open.

”BETH!” 

Ty and Louis ran out and tackled their sister on the grass. She giggled joyously and kissed both of their heads multiple times. They hugged her tightly.

”I’m so happy you’re home!” Louis squealed. 

”We missed you!” Ty said.

”I missed you too!” Beth said. Shelby shook her head in laughter.

”Okay, boys, get off your sister and help her up.” she said. Ty and Louis took Beth’s hands and helped her up from the ground. Rachel watched the trio adoringly and leaned her head against Quinn’s shoulder. 

”You know, Quinn,” Shelby looked at the blonde again, ”You were always welcome to see Beth and be a part of her life.”

”And I thank you for that,” Quinn replied, ”I was just too afraid of messing up, but I think I'm less scared now.”

”It’s not too late to be involved,” Shelby hinted with a smile, ”You and Rachel are welcome to visit us whenever you want.”

Quinn glanced at Beth, whose eyes glistened with hope like two stars. She looked back at Sheby. Somehow she knew that the future would be even better than the past, and she’d get to have Beth as a part of it. 

”Thank you. I’d like that very much.” 

* * *

_Slowly, then all at once._  
_The dark clouds depart,_  
_and the damage is done._  
_So pardon the dust_  
_while this all settles in._  
_With a broken heart,_  
_transformation begins._


End file.
